World Change Starts with Educated Children.

SCHOOL ROOM COMPLETION REPORT Prepared for: Tim Ferriss

Overview Project ID #: NP-SR-08-0036 Name of School or Community: Shree Bal Jagriti Primary School Location Village/City: District/Zone: State/Province: Country: Pulachaur Myagdi Dhaulagiri Nepal

Description: Pulachaur Village Development Committee (VDC) is situated in Myagdi District, about 285 kilometers west of Kathmandu. It takes about 12 hours to reach the school from Kathmandu. Shree Bal Jagriti Primary School is located in Pulachaur, about 85 kilometers, or 3 hours, from the Kaski field office.

Myagdi District is indicated in blue. Student / Teacher Information NUMBER OF STUDENTS/CHILDREN Female: 60 Male: 52 TOTAL: 112 NUMBER OF TEACHERS Female: 3 Male: 3 TOTAL: 6

GRADE/LEVEL OF STUDENTS: Grades Kindergarten through 5

Room to Read 111 Sutter St., 16th floor San Francisco, CA 94104 415-561-3331 www.roomtoread.org

Community / School Profile The school is situated in Pulachaur, Myadgi District. The district is a popular tourist destination, famous for its stunning panoramic views of the Annapurna region. Apart from tourism, most people rely on agriculture to sustain their livelihood. Though various ethnicities populate the region, Magars make up the majority. The population of region is about 500. Large families remain the norm, with the typical household consisting of a family ranging in size from five to seven. Generally, the houses are two-storied, built with mud mortar and stone, and roofed with corrugated iron sheets. Some houses are also built in reinforced cement concrete (RCC). The region has access to drinking water, but state-provided electricity grid lines have yet to reach the village. Instead most people rely on kerosene lamps, evidence of which can be seen on sootcovered ceilings. Current Situation and Reason for Support Established in 1989, Shree Bal Jagriti Primary School is currently housed in three buildings (two single-story buildings and one two-story building) comprising a total of eight rooms. One room is used as an office, one houses a library, and the remaining six serve as classrooms. The existing buildings are in critical condition. Due to their weak structural integrity, they are in danger of falling at any time. The classrooms are small, with an average size of ten feet by eight feet, and consist of mud mortar and stone walls and mud flooring. The roof is made of corrugated sheets that consistently leak water during the rainy season (from July to September), making it quite difficult to hold classes. The walls are in very poor condition-- some are tilted away from each other while others are cracked in places. In addition, the classrooms are not adequately ventilated. Date Established April 20, 2009 Project Details The newly constructed two-story school building has a total of six rooms. Of these, five are being used as classrooms and one houses the library. These rooms are adequately ventilated and well lit by ample natural light. The newly constructed schoolrooms can accommodate 40 students in each classroom very comfortably. The walls of the school building have been plastered and painted yellow. The external walls of the school building have also been plastered and painted. The school also has a five-room toilet facility, sufficient for students and teachers.

Room to Read 111 Sutter St., 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 415-561-3331 www.roomtoread.org

Resources Provided Challenge Grant Provided by Community - 45.64% of Total Blackboard; Building Maintenance; Clean Water; Construction Materials; Educational Materials; Electricity; Furniture; Land; Salvaged/Reused Materials; Sponsor Groundbreaking Ceremony; Sponsor Opening Ceremony; Transportation of Materials; Volunteer Labor Provided by Room to Read 54.36% of Total Building Design; Construction Materials; Furniture; Monitoring and Support; Skilled Labor; Transportation of Materials Trainings Basic Construction Techniques; Financial Management; Other; Project Management; Specialized Construction Techniques; Water And Sanitation Comments Bhakta Bahadur Karki, Headmaster, is excited to see his students learning in their new school. "They are very lucky to have this decent infrastructure at their disposal," he says. "They can all concentrate on their studies and not worry about their safety anymore." Vijay Paudel, a third grader, says that the new classrooms have been "well received" by the students. "We are very happy to have new rooms for our classes. Our new room is way more comfortable than our older ones."

Room to Read 111 Sutter St., 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 415-561-3331 www.roomtoread.org

Photos

Students in newly constructed classroom.

Dedication plaque.
Room to Read 111 Sutter St., 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 415-561-3331 www.roomtoread.org

Teacher conducting class in newly constructed classroom.

Student in front of dedication plaque.

Room to Read 111 Sutter St., 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 415-561-3331 www.roomtoread.org

Newly constructed school building.

Room to Read 111 Sutter St., 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 415-561-3331 www.roomtoread.org